I haven't posted on here in a while, but I've been thinking of ways to change it around a bit to make it more accessible to people and make it a little easier for me to think of things to write about. I'm going to eliminate the Tip of the Day aspect and just give tips when I have them.
I've had a lot of time to reflect recently on how the lives of my family and many of our friends differ from the mainstream concept of a fulfilling life. I think it really dawned on me one day when my eldest son and I were out in the field raking up hay to store in our barn to use as bedding for our chickens come winter time. We live on 3 acres of former hay field, so it isn't difficult to get enough hay to store, but it does require a lot of work. Most of what goes on at our house requires a lot of work, and I was explaining to my 3 year old son that summertime was when we worked so that come harvest and winter we could relax and spend our time on more relaxed projects inside. At that point it really struck me that our family lives a very old fashioned life in many respects. My days are generally spent outdoors, planting, weeding, harvesting, tending to the animals, and working the land. Although I do spend time in the evenings with what technology I find useful (Facebook to keep up with family and friends, my two blogs and the occasional movie), I don't spend much time bothering with the latest technology. I have lived in cities and seen the fast paced world of technology, and I've decided that it isn't for me. I don't want to have the newest this or the latest that all the time. I don't need every time saving gadget that comes out. I find peace and relaxation in spending my days working my land and caring for my family and animals. I would rather curl up with a good book on a cold day than attach myself to the internet. I find myself more fulfilled by playing with my children than by watching a movie with them. This isn't to say that the internet is not useful, or that it isn't nice to watch a movie once in a while as a family, but that these aren't the most important aspects of my life. I value a life of simplicity, filled with the use of technology limited to what is truly useful to me.
I don't live a life of voluntary simplicity to the extent that some people do, but I try to practice a simple life in many ways. I find that when my life is free of technological clutter and simplified as much as is practical, I live a life of less stress and I enjoy the quality of my relationships with people more. There is a wealth of information to be gained on the internet, and yet there is so much more to be gained by spending an hour instead talking with my husband or fighting dragons with my son. I value a sunset and a calm evening more than a TV show.
As a society we live very fast paced lives, and often the result of these lives is increased stress, which leads to increased health risks. I encourage anyone interesting in simple living or homesteading to check out the links provided. I think that anyone can find some reward in scaling back, even by a small degree, our typical lives of fast paced technology driven consumerism.
